Sexing up bad news

As the credit crunch bites, Britons may be turning to sex as a cheap way to pass the time, a charity says.

A YouGov survey of 2,000 adults found sex was the most popular free activity, ahead of window shopping and gossiping.

Publishing the results to coincide with World Aids Day, the Terrence Higgins Trust reminded people to practise safe sex and pointed out that a packet of condoms costs a fraction of the cost of a night out. […]

Lisa Power, head of policy [at the Terrence Higgins Trust], said: We’re glad that people are finding ways of relieving some of their credit crunch woes, but if there’s one thing it’s worth forking out for, it’s condoms.

“Alternatively you can get them free from family planning and sexual health clinics.”

From the BBC News website, which accompanies the story with a stock photo of some feet in bed, captioned: “Snuggling under the duvet could also save on those heating bills.”

The Terrence Higgins Trust commissioned the survey to draw attention to the fact that rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases are rising. I suppose that’s not newsworthy information in itself, unless it can be turned into another credit crunch story.